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Susan G

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Posts posted by Susan G

  1. Oohh, the tapas list: (incomplete, as I was drinking more than usual that night, and some crucial details escape me):

    Grilled octopus - small ones: blackened tentacles, chewy centers. Nothing but olive oil and meat - outstanding.

    Manchego cheese and fig jam, with a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar and slivered almonds. Lovely plating, very nice pairing with the red wine we were all imbibing!

    Several pieces of seared tuna rolled in golden sesame seeds. This was my favorite: The nutty crunch of the seeds paired perfectly with the smoothness of the seafood.

    Barbequed spareribs. Harder and sweeter than I expected, and required more nibbling.......but that was part of the fun!

    And........the rest is a blur. I remember we had eight plates among three people, and I walked out of there feeling very full and very happy...........but the finer points evade me. Cynthia? Other than the music glitch at the door, I would go again........and soon!

  2. There's also a Chinese wine-type beverage that has a similar aroma. (Unwashed feet).

    I bet that's bai jiu! (Literally, "white liquor") Hoo yeah - suck that stuff down with some stinking tofu and some 100 year old eggs, and you've got yourself a stink party!

    Not to get off-topic: My favorite movie theater in Nanjing, PRC, where you could rent tickets to red velvet sofas on the mezanine, freqently had small gatherings of young men getting absolutely pissed on bai jiu during the movie. I doubt they had to smuggle it in, and between the aroma and the ensuing behavior, the rest of the patrons didn't much care for it.

  3. Or a rice pudding for dessert, with a little freshly grated nutmeg.

    I love that there's a Non-Chew Cookbook! What enlightened times we live in! Toothless or dysphagic, yet with an expectation of being gastronomicly engaged! How humane!

  4. for pho fanatics:

    i've been to pho houses in which the only herb you're given is basil, and to ones in which you're instead given cilantro, and also to places that give you both. is there some sort of regional or traditional variation at work here? or is this a case of things changing as pho leaves vietnam and comes to the u.s.

    Here in Albuquerque, which has a thriving Vietnamese population (meaning, many Asian grocery stores!) pho is served with purple basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedges and - this may be our regional twist on things - sliced jalepeno peppers! Hoisin sauce and chili sauce are in squeeze bottles on the table, nam pla available on request.

  5. I think what you're looking for is called Red-Cooked Pork. The following is a recipe form Cooking Light, November 1999.

    "2lbs boneless pork loin roast

    1/2 c. dry red wine, divided

    2T. sugar

    1c. chopped onion

    2T. minced fresh ginger

    4 garlic cloved, minced

    1/2c. soy sauce

    7 whole scallions

    6 star anise

    1c. water

    (garnish: 3T chopped scallions)

    Trim the fat from the pork. Cut pork into 2" pieces. Combine 1/4c. wine with the sugar in a large Dutch oven, and cook until sugar melt s and mixutre slightly thickens. Add the pork, onion, ginger and garlic, and cook 5 mintes, browning the pork on all sides. Add the remaining wine, soy sauce, whole scallions, and star anise. Bring mixture toa boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 75 minutes, until the pork shreds easily with a fork. Spoon over rice and serve with chopped scallions."

    Although the recipe doesn't mention it, you may want to try using a drop or two of red food coloring for that restaurant-quality ruby color you liked so much.

    If I recall correctly, this dish was reputed to be Chairman Mao's favorite - and his wife nagged at him to eat more vegetables and fewer fatty dishes. (Like this one). If this isn't the flavor you remember, try searching for recipes for Twice-Cooked Pork, which is also sometimes colored red in restaurants. Happy eating!

  6. The type and amount of salt you use can be a determining factor. Coarse kosher salt works for me.

    Kosher salt is, I think, the salt of choice: Iodized salt halts the fermentation process.

  7. I second the Rescue Remedy solution........and I also suggest making a big pot of large pearl tapioca.......heavy hand with the vanilla (almond flavoring too if you're feeling like something exotic) and add a can of mandarin oranges. Eat warm. Nothing lik Grandma used to make, and oh so comforting. Slides down easily on an upset tummy. So sorry about your breakup.

  8. When I was a teenager and going through extreme growth spurts, I used to crave a bowl of pineapple chunks and unflavored yogurt. I ate it every day after school. In fact, I ate so much of it for so long, my step-father was convinved it was an anti-helminth remedy!

    In rural New York, maple syrup is commonly eaten on johnnycake (and as a sweetener for strawberry shortcake)........maybe the Japanese developer for corn dogs spent too much time in Rochester or Syracuse?

  9. If you are near Pecos, just a few minutes from Santa Fe, you must try Pecos Cafe and Grill. Doesn't look like much from outside, but once inside, you will be transformed. The building has a long, rich history. Excellent old-world European style cuisine.

    What I've always found memorable about the Pecos Cafe and Grill is the way people's forks freeze halfway to their mouths when they hear the chef yelling (again) at his staff. Hard to feed the soul when the tummy is getting upset. I do takeout instead. Also, it's a minimum of 30 minutes from downtown Santa Fe to Pecos - which is a beautiful trip, but I'd go in the morning or afternoon for Frankie's Coffeeshop, or in the evening for Renate's.

  10. The red coloring might have come from using chili oil exclusively as a spiciness agent, rather than using la-jiang (chili paste, which usually has garlic and other peppers in it as well..) My receipe call not only for a goodly amount of cornstarch, but also an egg white to be mixed in it the last minute, as the pot is at full boil: it gives an interesting visual je ne sais quois, and it adds to the thickening.

  11. When I was there in '94 there was a Uigherville the length of a hutong near the Beijing Shoudou ShiFan Daxue (BJ Capital Normal (or teachers) University). Excellent roast mutton with cumin, and the best flatbread I've ever had! The muslims there had green or hazel eyes - they sold the juiciest currents!

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